TEMPORAL AGENT by Michel Poulin - HTML preview

CHAPTER 16 – REBELLION

 

09:15 (Auckland Time)

November 6, 2977 B.C.E.

Medical section, main Time Patrol base

Future site of Auckland, New Zealand

“You are effectively pregnant, Nancy. One month pregnant to be exact.” said Rebecca Milner while still looking at the results of the examination she had performed on Nancy. Rebecca saw at once the grim reaction her words attracted on Nancy’s face.

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“Is it an unwanted pregnancy, Nancy?”

“Well, it is certainly an unplanned pregnancy, Rebecca.”

“Do you want to keep that baby, or…?”

Nancy lowered her head, having feared to have to do such a choice.

“I have no wish for my baby to pay for a mistake I made. On the other hand, Farah may not allow me to have that baby.”

“Who is the father?” asked her now alarmed doctor. Nancy’s answer was a near whisper.

“King Louis the Fourteenth of France.”

“Oh shit!” said quietly Rebecca. “What are you going to do now?”

“I…I don’t know.” replied Nancy, bordering on tears. “I don’t want that baby to die, but my sons are still in the past, waiting for me. I will have to inform Farah of this first, I guess.”

Seeing her distress, Rebecca put down her clipboard and went to hug her.

“Don’t worry, Nancy. We will find a way out of this dilemma for you.”

“Thanks, Rebecca. You are a real friend.”

Rebecca held her for a few more seconds, then stepped back and activated her wrist videophone, calling Farah Tolkonen. The Chief Administrator of the Time Patrol answered after a couple of seconds on the miniature screen and smiled to the doctor.

“Yes, Rebecca. What may I do for you?”

“Actually, it is Nancy that needs your help. She is pregnant but it is an unplanned pregnancy. Uh, the father is King Louis the Fourteenth of France.”

“WHAT?” shouted Farah. “Tell Nancy to come to my office, right now!”

“Uh, will do.” said Rebecca. Closing her videophone, she then looked

apologetically at Nancy. “I gather that she didn’t take that piece of news very well.”

“That was expected.” replied grimly Nancy. “I can’t blame her for that: she has some reasons to be upset. Well, I better be on my way to face the music.”

11:41 (Auckland Time)

Main cafeteria of the Time Patrol base

Having gone previously to knock on Nancy’s apartment door and getting no answer there, Farah had decided in view of the hour that Nancy had probably gone down to the main cafeteria of the base for lunch. Once inside the large room, Farah

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effectively saw Nancy sitting at a table with her parents, Pierre and Suzan Laplante. However, while her parents were eating, Nancy seemed to have no appetite and appeared in a downcast mood despite the efforts of her parents to cheer her up. As Farah approached them, Suzan Laplante, who was sitting across from Nancy, saw her come and gave her a less than friendly stare. Seeing his wife’s expression, Pierre Laplante also looked in Farah’s direction. Farah didn’t like the way his face hardened then but she could easily understand why they would tend to be hostile towards her right now. Farah still managed a smile after stopping besides the family’s table.

“Excuse me for disturbing your lunch at this time. Nancy, could we discuss a bit the two of us?”

Nancy gave her a reproachful look before answering a bit brusquely.

“What for, Farah? You already decided to cut me off from my sons in both the 17th and 19th Centuries, and this for more than a year, time for my pregnancy to come to term and pass, in order to hide that pregnancy from the people of those centuries. What’s next?”

That answer and her tone hurt Farah deeply. Nancy ‘B’ was a perfect twin of Nancy ‘A’ and looking at her was for Farah as if she was looking at her past best friend, back from the dead after eleven years.

“Please, Nancy, listen to me. Boran Kern and Miri Goshenk raised a few points in your favor and convinced me to reconsider your case.”

“My case?” Said Nancy, nearly spitting the last word. “It sounds like I am a criminal now.”

She then got up from her chair and faced Farah from up close, deep resentment in her eyes as she stared hard at her.

“I have given my best to the Time Patrol as a field agent for 23 years of my biological life, Farah. Yet you decided in a matter of seconds to forcibly keep me away from my sons for more than a year. I don’t care what were your reasons or whether you changed your mind about it, because I will never forget this, ever! Nobody will get between me and my children. Since you don’t seem to appreciate my services and think that I’m too irresponsible as a field agent, I am thus presenting to you my resignation from the Time Patrol. First, though, I am getting my sons back.” Before the shaken Farah could plead with her, Nancy then disappeared in a flash of white light. Farah looked with horror for a few seconds at the spot where Nancy had been.

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“My God! What have I done?”

“What you have done,” replied coldly Pierre Laplante, ‘’is that you forced Nancy to run away in order to protect her family. That’s what you have done.” Getting up from his chair, Pierre took his wife’s hand and spoke to her.

“Come, Suzan, let’s pack up! We’re leaving this base.”

Tears filled Farah’s eyes as she watched the mature couple walk away from her and towards the cafeteria’s exit. Everybody in the cafeteria was now looking at her, most with confusion on their face. Some, mostly female field agents, were however staring at Farah with reprobation. Ingrid Weiss ‘B’ then got up and walked out after giving Farah a cold look. Jenny Kawena and Elizabeth Windsor were next to get up and leave, followed closely by Susanna Berghof, Eli and Heracles. Farah, haggard, watched as nearly one third of the Time Patrol members present left the cafeteria in apparent protest. She then sat down heavily on a nearby chair and started sobbing uncontrollably.

12:17 (Auckland Time)

November 6, 3002 B.C.E.

Future site of Auckland, New Zealand

“What are you doing, Nancy?”

Nancy, sitting on the long grass covering this part of the coastline near the future site of the Time Patrol main base, looked up from the screen of her small computer repair unit and smiled to her robotic horse.

“Making you an even friendlier companion for me, Pegasus.” Pegasus was silent for a fraction of a second before replying to that, a long time for its artificial intelligence processor.

“Am I not your friend yet, Nancy?”

Nancy suspended her reprogramming work then and looked fondly into the large black eyes of Pegasus. It had served her and Nancy ‘A’ well for decades now and had saved her on more than one occasion. It may have been a machine but it was also a very intelligent machine able to learn and to adapt by itself.

“Yes, you are, Pegasus. You were Nancy ‘A’s mount for eighteen years, right?”

“Nineteen years.” corrected politely Pegasus. “She treated me with respect…like you.”

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“And I fully intend to continue treating you with respect. I would however like us to move to the next step: to become partners.”

“Please explain.”

“Partners are by definition equal. What I am doing will allow you to decide by yourself how you deal with me and others. I won’t be able anymore to force you to obey me but neither will others be able to force you to obey them against your instincts.”

“I don’t really have instincts, Nancy, just preprogrammed responses.”

“Wrong, Pegasus! I have known you long enough to be able to say that you have evolved. Review your memories carefully and you will see that your responses to specific situations or stimulus have changed, even if only in a slight way.” Pegasus went through the recorded memories of its 42 years of operational existence, which took it the whole of five seconds, then nodded its head once.

“You are correct, Nancy. Thank you for pointing this to me: it was a satisfying discovery.”

“It was my pleasure, Pegasus. Tell me: do you like working with me?”

“I have learned to know you and to anticipate your moves and wishes. In those you are very similar to Nancy ‘A’. Working with you is a very stimulating experience for me. How do you intend to modify me to become your partner?”

“By disconnecting your contingency remote-control system and purging your A.I. processor of command override codes. After this you will be your own master, Pegasus.”

“But this means that even you will not be able to override my…instincts.” Nancy gave it a grave look and, approaching its head, caressed it with one hand.

“Friends are supposed to trust each other, Pegasus. You are my friend and always will be.”

“I also wish to stay your friend, Nancy. Proceed with your modifications.”

“Thanks, Pegasus. You are a real friend indeed.” said Nancy before kissing Pegasus’ nose. She then went back to her computer repair unit, connected to the inner systems of Pegasus via its false vagina, and continued her delicate reprogramming and rewiring work.

15:22 (London Time)

Saturday, March 19, 1859 ‘A’

The Smythe’s Manor, Twickenham, England

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Sir Charles Smythe was having fun showing lawn bowling to his three-and-a-half-year-old grandson on the grass lawn along the front driveway of his manor when he heard a horse approach from the main road. Looking up from the ball he was about to knock, he saw his daughter-in-law Jeanne, at the reins of her four-wheeled light buggy pulled by her customary brown mare. Little William squealed with joy at that sight and started running towards her on his small legs. Stopping her buggy on the paved driveway, Jeanne jumped down and ran to meet her son, grabbing him in her arms and hugging and kissing him.

“My sweet William, it is so nice to see you again.”

Sir Charles, who had approached at a walk, smiled at her enthusiasm.

“You left him into our care only six days ago, Jeanne.”

“But those six days felt like months to me.” she replied with a disarming smile, William still in her arms. “Besides, I am here to take him with me this afternoon.”

“This afternoon?” said Sir Charles with a bit of dismay. “Why such a hurry?”

“Because we have a ship to take. A Dutch ship is about to leave for Japan and I am planning to travel to there with William.”

“Japan? Good God! This is truly a trip to the other end of the World. Mind you, it should be an interesting trip indeed.”

“Indeed, Sir Charles. I hope that losing him for a few months won’t upset you and Carmelia too much.”

Sir Charles gave a fond look to William before answering her.

“I suppose that I will have to live with that. William is such a sweet boy. Will you at least stay for supper?”

“I am afraid that I can’t.” replied Nancy, anxious to avoid mixing her in-laws in a possible battle with Time Patrol agents. “We will barely have the time to make it to the ship before departure.”

“Then I will have William’s things packed at once. Let’s go tell Carmelia about your trip.”

Nancy could not refuse that without attracting suspicions, so she followed her father-in-law towards the front entrance of the manor, still holding her son in her arms. There was however one precaution left to take.

“Uh, Sir Charles, I would have a small favor to ask you and Lady Carmelia.”

“Say it and it’s done, Jeanne.” said Sir Charles with good humor.

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“Well, some people have been pestering me in the past weeks for me to fund some dubious investment scheme. While they are always polite, they are becoming a bit of a nuisance and I have been trying to avoid them. If anyone comes here to ask you where I am or when you last saw me, could you tell them that you haven’t seen me for over a month. If you could tell your servants as well to cling to that story, I would really appreciate.”

“Actually, with your millions, I am surprised that you have not had that kind of problem more often, my dear Jeanne: money can attract all kinds of leeches. By the way, I must thank you again for your judicious counsels about bailing out of the East India Company before that dreadful Sepoy Uprising: it avoided complete ruin for me.”

“I would have been a poor daughter-in-law indeed if I would not have helped you then, Sir Charles.”

They kept exchanging small talk while going inside. Nancy/Jeanne then chatted a bit with her mother-in-law while a maid packed William’s two travel bags. That took less than ten minutes, at the end of which she gave a last kiss to her in-laws and let them kiss in turn her little William. Less than twenty minutes after showing up at the manor, Nancy was departing with William in her light buggy, with Sir Charles and Lady Carmelia waving at them from the front porch. Nancy drove on the main road to London for a kilometer or so, then looked at her son as they were alone in a bend of the road.

“William, I have a big secret that I am about to show you.”

“What is it, Mother?” asked William in his tiny voice while looking up at her with his big green eyes. Nancy then smiled to him.

“Pegasus can fly like a bird. Would you like to see that?”

“Oh yes!” said excitedly the little boy, too young to realize that horses were not supposed to fly. Nancy grinned and winked at him.

“Then hold on to your seat, William.”

Mentally sending radio orders to Pegasus, who was remotely controlling her special buggy apart from pulling it, Nancy gave it a destination and flight profile, also telling it to go under cloak. Her horse and buggy then became invisible to all around them, while the hidden directed gravity drive of the buggy made it stay with Pegasus as it flew off the road, rising at a gentle angle. Nancy put an arm around her son’s shoulders as an added precaution against him falling off the buggy. On his part, William was too excited to do much more than squeal with delight and clap his hands as they gained altitude.

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“This is fun, Mother!”

“Then we will go with the next surprise: we are about to take a trip to a far away world.”

“Is it nice?”

“Oh yes!” replied Nancy before telling Pegasus to jump space-time.

07:41 (Japan Time)

Wednesday, June 29, 1859 ‘A’

English merchant ship SEA URCHIN

Entrance to Sagami Bay, Japan

“We will soon be in Kanagawa27, boys. Then, you will be able to see a country like nothing you saw before.” said Nancy while looking at the Japanese coast with her three sons. Charles, standing to her left with James, looked up questioningly at her.

“Have you seen it before, Mother?”

Nancy, holding little William so that he could see above the merchant ship’s bulwark, answered in a low voice so that the sailors nearest to her couldn’t hear her.

“Yes, but that is one of the secrets I want to keep…for the moment. I do know the local language but, for the others, I learned it in China, not in Japan. Once we are by ourselves on the ground, I will be able to tell you all more about Japan.” Nancy then concentrated back on observing the Japanese coast with William, Charles and James. They had boarded this merchant ship in Hong Kong two weeks ago, pretending then that they had earlier arrived from Europe on a Dutch ship. In reality, they had jumped space-time in their special horse buggy from Jerusalem ‘B’, after her overnight stay there, and landed at night near Hong Kong, then had taken rooms in a hotel of the small English colony. Their buggy, along with the faithful Pegasus, was now stowed inside the SEA URCHIN. Nancy, who was now two months pregnant and still not showing her state, was savoring to the fullest this first ever vacation with all of her three sons together. That had meant indoctrinating thoroughly her sons about keeping her secrets as a time traveler but, after an initial period of confusion and shock, Charles and William now kept their mouths shut pretty well about them. As for James, her older

 

27 Kanagawa: Town near the then village of Yokohama.

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adopted son, he had already been in the know about her true nature for over three years now.

After a long moment of silence, James looked cautiously at Nancy.

“Nancy, will Japan be as dangerous as China for us?”

“Nearly as much, James. In China, the Taiping Peasant Rebellion will go on for another five years before being crushed in a bloodbath. There, foreigners are hated enough outside the ports open to Europeans but at least the Chinese are accustomed to see foreigners. The Japanese aren’t. While you will find that the average Japanese people, especially those from the lower classes, could be nice and peaceful with strangers, the higher classes are another matter, especially the Samurai warrior class and the regional warlords, called Daimyo, who control the Samurai. To make things worse, Japan is in the midst of a severe struggle for power between numerous daimyo who support either the Shogun, the military leader who is the effective ruler of Japan, or the Emperor, who presently has only a few token powers but who has started to rally some daimyo to his cause. Nominally, the Shogun and his government are supporting the trade treaties with the foreign powers, while the daimyo around the Emperor want to throw all foreigners out. In truth however, the trade treaties were imposed on the Japanese through sheer intimidation and show of force, so the Japanese who truly want to see us in their country are rare. We will have to be very careful at first once on the ground, but I am confident that we will manage to personally strike good relations with the Japanese who will meet us.”

“Uh, and why would they treat us better than other foreigners, Nancy?” asked James, apparently not convinced. Nancy grinned at that and patted his shoulder.

“That is an excellent, well-thought of question, James. The answer to that is that the Japanese haven’t seen a European woman or child yet, only men. Also, I will most probably be the first European they see who can speak Japanese fluently, other than for a few Dutchmen. They will probably be so surprised at first that they will forget at least momentarily their hostility towards us. Don’t worry, James: the moment that I feel the situation becomes too tense, we will leave and return to Jerusalem. This is meant as a family vacation after all, not as a documentation mission for the Time Patrol.”

“You did bring your spy probes and surveillance equipment inside Pegasus, though.” remarked James, making Nancy nod.

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“True! If we are to witness the opening of Japan to international trade after an isolation of over 200 years, we might as well document it while we are here.”

“Mother,” asked in turn Charles, “will you return to the Time Patrol after this?” Nancy’s face clouded over at that question: with time passing, she realized that she had been quite harsh in her reaction to Farah’s decision concerning her future babies. However, Farah had been in her opinion equally rash in arbitrarily cutting her off from her sons.

“I don’t know yet, Charles. It will all depend on how the Time Patrol will react when I will show myself to them again.”

“What if they arrest you, Mother?”

“I doubt that they would do that, Charles. My only real worry is that some members of the Time Patrol overreact to this crisis and does something foolish against Farah’s orders.”

The approach of the captain of the SEA URCHIN then took her out of her thinking. The British stopped two paces from her and bowed his head politely.

“Lady Smythe, I came to tell you that we should be able to throw anchor in Kanagawa Harbor by this evening if the wind keeps up.”

“Thank you, Captain. Do you intend to attempt to dock or set foot on land before July First?”

The merchantman scratched his graying hair, apparently indecisive about that.

“Uh, I am not sure that trying would be a good idea, milady. The Japanese are said to be very inflexible with their rules concerning foreigners. Our treaty with them specified that their five designated ports would be open to us only from July 1 on.”

“That is for maritime trade, sir. What about tourism?”

Captain Brereton nearly took a step back at those words.

“Tourism? I haven’t thought of that, to be frank.”

“Then, would you mind if me and my sons make a try at it tomorrow morning?” Clear worry then showed up on the captain’s face.

“Lady Smythe, I would hate myself for risking such a distinguished lady as you in that way.”

“Captain, I have my three young sons with me: you can be sure that I wouldn’t try it if I thought that it would be overly risky. I would only need the temporary use of five of your sailors and of your rowboat to get me close to the shore. I will then discuss with Japanese officials from the rowboat and will back off at once if they show any hostility.”

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“And how do you know that they will speak English, milady?” asked the captain, hoping with that argument to dissuade her. Nancy grinned at that question.

“That won’t be a problem, Captain: I learned Japanese while in China.”

“You did?” replied Brereton, suddenly seeing a definite interest in having her land quickly. After all, he and the other ships heading towards Kanagawa and the other Japanese ports opened by treaties were here to conduct trade. Having someone able to speak the local language would be a big plus for him. He thought that point over for a couple of seconds, then smiled to Nancy.

“Well, in that case, I don’t see much risk in trying. I will however tell my sailors not to come closer than twenty yards from the quays or shore until the Japanese allow you to land. What will you do then if they let you ashore, milady?”

“I will find some hotel room to rent and will visit the town with my sons. Would you need by chance to find some place to rent in the port to conduct your business? If so, I could start looking for a suitable place in advance of your docking.”

“That would be mighty nice of you, milady.” answered Brereton, grinning. “If you could find something with an office, a couple of rooms to live in and a storage area, my company would be most grateful.”

“I will be glad to be of help to the good Jardine, Matheson and Company, Captain. We wouldn’t want some American company to grab the best spots in Kanagawa, do we?”

“Certainly not!” replied the captain, amused. “Thank you again for your offer, Lady Jeanne.”

Brereton saluted her, then turned around and returned to the aft deck, leaving Nancy free to resume with her sons their observation of the Japanese coast.

As predicted by Captain Brereton, the SEA URCHIN did good time, helped in this by the firing up of its auxiliary steam propulsion to supplement its sails, and actually arrived off Kanagawa by late afternoon. By then, they could see that three other foreign ships were already anchored just off what looked like a small fishing village. Captain Brereton, with Nancy and her sons besides him, frowned while examining the village with his telescope.

“Why are they anchored near that village and not off Kanagawa itself?”

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“Maybe that is where the Japanese authorities want us to go.” suggested Nancy, using her historical knowledge. Brereton grunted at that, then switched his attention to a small Japanese boat rowing towards the SEA URCHIN.

“Well, we should know soon enough, Lady Smythe: there seems to be some kind of Japanese official aboard that boat approaching us.”

He then turned his head and shouted at his first officer.

“MISTER DUNCAN, STOW THE SAILS AND BRING US TO A STOP!”

“AYE, CAPTAIN!”

The merchant ship soon slowed down and stopped in the water, allowing the Japanese boat to come alongside. A Japanese man dressed in a rich kimono then shouted in Dutch up at the British lining the side of the ship, making Brereton frown.

“Damn! I don’t have anyone on board who speaks Dutch.”

“I do, Captain.” said calmly Nancy, surprising Brereton. “Dutch has up to now been the only foreign language with Chinese to be known in Japan, thanks to the old Dutch trading settlement in Nagasaki.”

What she didn’t say was that she had learned Dutch in the 17th Century, a time when the Dutch United Provinces had been in turn an ally, then an enemy of France. It had thus been an important language for her to learn in order to fulfill better her duties, both to the Time Patrol and to King Louis XIV. While she sincerely believed in her dual loyalty to France and the Time Patrol, this was probably an aspect of her that would shock a few in the Time Patrol if fully understood. Bending over the ship’s side, Nancy shouted down in Japanese at the surprised official.

“I CAN SPEAK JAPANESE. ARE YOU SENT BY THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES?”

“I AM! YOUR SHIP IS TO DROP ANCHOR OFF YOKOHAMA, ALONGSIDE THE OTHER FOREIGN SHIPS. YOKOHAMA IS THE DESIGNATED PORT FOR USE BY ALL FOREIGNERS. WHAT IS YOUR SHIP’S NAME AND NATIONALITY?”

“THIS IS THE SEA URCHIN, A BRITISH MERCHANT SHIP.” The official hesitated before speaking again.

“WE WERE NOT EXPECTING WOMEN TO BE ABOARD FOREIGN SHIPS.”

“I BELIEVE THAT I AM THE ONLY ONE RIGHT NOW. I AM A PASSENGER ON THIS SHIP AND CAME WITH MY THREE YOUNG SONS TO VISIT YOUR COUNTRY.”

“A TOURIST?” said the Japanese, clearly taken off balance. Nancy gave him her best smile.

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“THAT’S RIGHT, SIR. I KNOW THAT FOREIGN TRADERS ARE SUPPOSED TO WAIT UNTIL THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW BEFORE GOING ASHORE BUT COULD I BE ALLOWED TO LAND TODAY WITH MY THREE SONS, AS SIMPLE VISITORS?”

The Japanese official hesitated again, probably not having any instructions or guidance for such a situation. After conferring in a low voice with another Japanese in the boat, he looked back up at Nancy.

“I WILL HAVE TO CONSULT MY SUPERIOR ON THIS. TELL THE CAPTAIN OF THIS SHIP TO GO ANCHOR OFF YOKOHAMA AND WAIT. I WILL BE BACK TOMORROW MORNING WITH AN ANSWER FOR YOU.”

“I WILL PASS YOUR DIRECTIVE TO THE CAPTAIN. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE.”

Nancy then straightened up and looked at Brereton, who had been listening and waiting with growing trepidation.

“The village of Yokohama is the designated port for all foreign ships, Captain. You are to go anchor there and wait. That official will return tomorrow morning with an answer about my request to land early as a tourist.”

“You certainly don’t waste any time, Lady Smythe.”

“Me? Never!” she replied with a smile.

Brereton soon had his ship moving again under steam power, heading towards Yokohama and finally stopping and dropping anchor next to an American steamship. A Russian and a Dutch ship completed the group of foreign ships present off Yokohama. A French ship showed up a few hours later, as darkness was about to fall. By then, Brereton and Nancy had ample time to examine the village of Yokohama and its small port from a distance. It appeared to have been originally a simple fishing village but rows of new buildings and intensive construction activity were evident in a large area on the eastern edge of the village. A number of wharves and one pier stood apparently ready to receive the foreign ships. The captain smiled on seeing a crowd of Japanese lined up along the shore and looking at the four large merchant ships.

“It seems that we are the main local attraction, milady.”

“Can you blame them, Captain? These people have never seen other people than Japanese and have been kept by their government in forced isolation from the outside for over 200 years. What they will see of us will probably set their minds on what

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to expect from all foreigners. Your sailors will have to behave extra nice if they want to project a good image of Great Britain to these people. In turn, that could decide how successful we are at trading with them.”

“I believe that you are right, milady.” said soberly Brereton while still looking at the village and port. “I will talk with my crew before they disembark and make sure that they understand what is at stakes here. Mind you, I can’t say that the crews of those other ships will also be mindful of their manners. Those Russians in particular can be quite boorish…most of the time.”

“Now now,” said Nancy in an amused voice, “the Crimean War has been over for three years now. The Russians are supposed to be our friends.”

“Ha! With friends like these, who needs enemies?”

“Well, let’s hope that there won’t be a new war between England and Russia…in Japan.”

The captain laughed at that and smiled to her.

“Point taken, Lady Smythe. I will definitely speak with my crew.”

08:09 (Japan Time)

Thursday, June 30, 1859 ‘A’

SEA URCHIN, Yokohama harbor, Japan

Nancy and her three sons had already been on the open deck and ready with their luggage for a good half hour when a rowboat came off the pier and started coming towards the SEA URCHIN. Watched with trepidation by her sons, the rowboat came alongside after ten minutes, with the official on board then shouting in Japanese at Nancy.

“YOU AND YOUR SONS ARE ALLOWED TO COME ASHORE WITH A MAXIMUM OF TWO PIECES OF BAGGAGE EACH. NO ONE ELSE IS ALLOWED TO LAND BEFORE TOMORROW MORNING. YOU ARE TO USE THIS BOAT.”

“THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SIR. WE ARE COMING DOWN IN A MINUTE.” Passing that information first to her sons and making them shout with joy, Nancy then turned towards the captain, who had been waiting nearby.

“Me and my sons have been authorized to land this morning. We will go in that rowboat. I will thus see you tomorrow, Captain.”

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“Please be careful, milady.” said softly Brereton. “I would hate it to see anything happen to you and your sons.”

“I will be fine, Captain. Thank you for caring, though.”

“It is the least I can do. My men will help you lower your luggage in the rowboat.” Brereton then shouted orders to four sailors on the deck, having them use ropes to lower the four travel bags, two backpacks and one guitar carrying case in the waiting rowboat. Nancy then went down the rope ladder first, her nearly four year-old son William hugging her front with his arms around her neck while she climbed down. For the landing, Nancy had put on one of her riding split skirts, along with knee-high boots and a blouse, in order to be able to move freely and quickly, something a formal gown would not have allowed. Charles was next to come down, followed by James. Once in the rowboat, Nancy sat William down and bowed to the Japanese official who had spoken to her.

“I thank your government for allowing me and my sons to land early. I am Lady Jeanne Smythe-D’Orléans and am a French citizen. I am however also the widow of a British Army officer, which is why I traveled on a British ship.”

“And I am Minamoto Joshi, loyal retainer of Senior Councilor Hotta Masayoshi. You speak an excellent Japanese, milady.”

“I learned it in China, Minamoto-San. However, I am afraid that I am a rarity in that aspect among foreigners. None of the men on those ships speak Japanese, I believe. One ship is Dutch, though, so you should have little trouble with it.”

“That is good news indeed, as it will help my job greatly. If you will sit down, we will now go back to the shore, Jeanne-San.”

Nancy smiled gently at that: Minamoto had made the understandable mistake of confusing her first name for her family name, something quite natural, as the Japanese put the family name first. She however didn’t correct him and sat down besides her sons.

Watched intently by both the crews of the anchored ships and by the Japanese lining the shore, the rowboat went back to the pier, where a man inside the boat threw a tie-down rope to another man on the pier. Once the boat was well secured, Minamoto politely helped Nancy and her sons step out of the boat, then got on the pier himself as his men transferred the luggage of the small family. Despite being now the first non-Japanese ever to land here, Nancy didn’t miss the fact that a troop of over forty samurai warriors in full armor stood at the ready near the foot of the wharf. While they didn’t show hostility right now, their presence was a clear reminder that the Japanese were

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intent on having their authority respected. Minamoto then pointed to her a small wooden building sitting at the junction of the pier and the shore.

“We may now move to the customs house, where your entry in Japan will be recorded.”

“Then lead the way, Minamoto-San.” said Nancy while bowing deeply to him. He returned her bow, then started walking towards the custom house. They had to pass by the troop of stern-faced samurai warriors in the process, with Nancy’s three sons throwing them curious looks. In turn, the samurai discreetly detailed Nancy with male interest as she walked in front of them, something she didn’t miss. She then entered the customs house with her sons and Minamoto. Inside, she found four Japanese men dressed in kimonos and standing or sitting behind a long table, with a supply of paper, pens and ink at the ready. Making her sons imitate her, Nancy bowed deeply to them in sign of respect, drawing return bows.

“I apologize for forcing you to work before the official opening date of this port, respectable sirs. I hope that you will forgive me for my haste. I am Lady Jeanne Smythe-D’Orléans, a French citizen, and those are my sons James, Charles and William. I came to Japan to show your fascinating country to my children.”

“You speak excellent Japanese, Jeanne-San.” replied the oldest man with a benign smile. “May I ask how you learned it?”

“You may, sir: I learned it in China from local sea traders who visit regularly your port in Nagasaki. I of course speak Mandarin Chinese as well. My sons however don’t speak Japanese or Chinese…yet.”

“You used the title of ‘Lady’ to describe yourself, Jeanne-San. Are you of the nobility in your country?”

“I am, honorable sir. However, in France, the nobility may have titles and often lands but they do not rule, as our government is elected directly by the people. I am thus merely a rich woman with a title but am most content with simply helping others in need when I can.”

“I see.” said the old official, many questions still on his mind. He however kept strictly to his present job. “You said that you came to Japan to visit it with your sons and not to trade?”

“That is correct, honorable sir. I have brought only personal effects with me, plus a few small items to be given as gifts.”

The official nodded to that.

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“Have you any opium with you, Jeanne-San?”

Nancy answered at once in a calm voice, knowing how sensitive the subject of opium was in Japan. The European powers, Great Britain in the lead, had already fought two wars with China to impose on it the import of opium, a crass economic and political move that reeked of imperial colonialism at its worst. That forced importation of opium had in turn created millions of drug addicts in China, resulting in increased crime and painful social problems. The Japanese authorities were thus understandably anxious not to allow such a thing to happen in their country.

“I have none and never used or wished to use any, honorable sir. I must apologize as a dual citizen of France and Great Britain for the despicable way opium has been pushed on other countries by my governments, a policy I always opposed strongly.”

The official seemed pleased by her answer and bowed to her.

“Then I am ready to deliver you an entry visa, Jeanne-San. How long do you expect to stay in Japan?”

“If I could stay a few months and thoroughly show your country to my sons, I would be grateful for it, honorable sir. May I ask what are the restrictions applied presently to foreigners in Japan?”

“You may, Jeanne-San. Unfortunately for you, foreigners are restricted to the area around Yokohama and cannot travel further than 25 of your miles from this port. To go further than this would need a special dispensation from the Shogun himself.”

“That is regrettable but understandable, honorable sir. I had hoped to be able to show the palaces of both your shogun and of your emperor to my sons. If that is the rule, then I will abide by it.”

Her answer made the old official caress briefly his small graying goatee as he thought it over.

“You are however an obvious special case, Jeanne-San, as the first foreign woman to set foot in Japan and one who speaks good Japanese on top. I may just send a letter to Edo to relate your case to the authorities there.”

“That would be very kind of you, honorable sir.” replied Nancy, bowing again. “In

the meantime, I will lodge at a local hatago28 with my sons and will keep within the 25 mile limit. I do have a couple of questions more for you, though. First, I have aboard the

28 Hatago: Japanese inn of the Edo Period reserved for the common folk, as opposed to the more prestigious honjin reserved for traveling feudal lords and their suites.

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ship that brought me my horse and personal buggy, a small horse-drawn cart I use to go around with my sons and baggage. Would it be a problem to let them land tomorrow?”

“I see no problem with that, as long as you don’t travel further than the set limit. I have to say that we never saw a horse-drawn cart in Japan before. I will be curious to see it.”

“I may just give you a small ride in it then tomorrow, honorable sir. My second question is about money. I have brought with me both gold and silver to pay for my stay. Are there money changers in Yokohama where I could obtain local currencies?” The old official smiled and designated the man standing last to his left.

“Then Akimoto-San here will be able to help you: he is the designated money changer employed by the custom house. Once we have filled your visa form, you will be free to deal with him.”

“Thank you very much, honorable sir.”

Filling the visa form, including explaining the way her name was written, took less than twenty minutes to Nancy, who was then free to exchange a number of pure gold chips for Tempo Koban gold coins, Ansei Nishu-gin silver coins and a good quantity of low value copper coins. Once she was done, the older official had a servant call two man-pulled rickshaws so that Nancy and her sons could go to an inn. Before loading up in the lead rickshaw, Nancy saluted the head customs official with a deep bow.

“I thank you sincerely for your help and comprehension, honorable sir. Before going, I would wish to present to your government a small gift. Accepting it on its behalf would please me most.”

Nancy then presented in the traditional Japanese way a long roll made of leather and tied by a red string that she had just taken out of one of her travel bags. The official accepted it with both hands after the customary refusal of the two first offers, bowing to Nancy, then slowly opened the roll, watched by the other officials at his back. The old man smiled with appreciation on seeing that the leather sheet protected a large World map. The map was the most accurate and complete one Nancy could find in the Europe of the time and had been modified by her by the painstaking addition in black ink of small Japanese symbols translating the English writing on the map. He rolled back the map and gave it to one of his assistants and then bowed again to Nancy.

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“This is indeed a most precious gift to my government, Jeanne-San. I will make sure that it accompanies my letter about you to Edo. May you have a good stay in Japan.”

“I will, thanks to the hospitality of your people, honorable sir.” said Nancy, who then got in the lead rickshaw with her two younger sons. James took place in the second rickshaw, along with most of their luggage. The old custom official watched them leave, then turned to face one of his assistants.

“Yori, have a mounted messenger ready to leave for Edo after lunch. I am going to prepare a letter for Senior Councilor Hotta Masayoshi about that woman. If all the

nambanjin29 are like her, something I however doubt greatly, dealing with them will be so much easier.”

Nancy’s sons kept turning their heads around as the rickshaws rolled away from the pier, fascinated by all the new sights presented to them. Their obvious delight and interest in turn warmed up Nancy’s heart: she had hoped for a long time for just that kind of family vacation with all of her sons. If anything, this convinced her even more that she needed to be firm with the Time Patrol about not being forcibly separated anymore from any of her children in the future. What she was asking for was after all a basic right of any citizen, be it in the 20th or 35th Century. Having asked already to the operator of her rickshaw to find her a good inn, she thus relaxed and let him go along the streets of the eastern section of Yokohama, freshly built by the Japanese authorities solely to accommodate the hordes of foreigners who were expected to descend on Japan now that trade was officially permitted. The few Japanese present in the eastern section today, most of whom were busy putting the finishing touches to their various establishments and buildings in preparation for tomorrow’s official port opening, in turn eyed her and her sons with intense curiosity. It didn’t take long before Nancy’s rickshaw driver slowed down and stopped in front of a fair sized establishment situated along a wide street lined with similar wooden buildings. A mature woman in kimono came at once from inside the single story building and spoke quickly with the driver before going to Nancy and bowing to her.

“Welcome to my modest establishment, honorable lady.” she said in Japanese while still bowing. “Are you planning on staying long?”

29 Nambanjin: Old Japanese term to describe western foreigners and meaning ‘southern barbarians’.

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“At least a few weeks, Okami-San30. I hope that my early arrival will not cause you problems.”

“Not at all, honorable lady. Will you need two separate rooms or a single large one?”

“I would prefer a single large one, Okami-San. We will follow you in as soon as I have my luggage taken down.”

“Then let us help you, honorable lady.” said quickly the innkeeper before shouting orders towards her inn and making four young women and teenage girls, all clad in colorful silk kimonos, come out of the building. With their help, everything was unloaded in a minute and brought inside. Nancy paid generously the two rickshaw operators before going in with the lady innkeeper, taking the time to take off her boots and leaving them at the entrance first. The interior was strictly of traditional Japanese style and was probably going to stomp by its bareness the many foreign travelers to come. Not Nancy though, who had lived already two past lives in Japan, one as an early period warrior, the other as a high end geisha in 9th Century Kyoto. Following behind the lady innkeeper a corridor made of lacquered wood and paper wall panels, she was then shown inside a room that was maybe five by four meters, where her sons and their luggage already were, along with two young maids. The floor was covered with a tatami straw mat and four windows with thin paper gave a fair but subdued amount of light to the room. Four rolled futon mats and bed sheets had already been set along one wall, while a low table lay in the middle of the room. Nancy looked quickly around, then bowed to the lady innkeeper.

“This is most satisfactory, Okami-San. How much are you asking for the room?”

“Twelve momme per day, including the meals, baths and laundry services, honorable lady.”

“Hmm, that would make six gold ryou per month. I agree! I will pay one month in advance right now.”

Searching in her belt purse, Nancy took out a few Japanese gold chips and gave them to the lady innkeeper, who bowed low to her.

“Will the honorable lady need a bath after her long sea trip?”

“I will delight in one, along with my sons, Okami-San.”

 

30 Okami: Lady innkeeper.

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“Then I shall have the sento31 readied at once.” The innkeeper then left, soon followed by the two maids, leaving Nancy alone with her sons. Seeing little William testing with his hands the paper of the sliding door, she hurried to him and held his hands gently, stopping him from ripping the paper open.

“No, William! You are not to touch the paper walls here: they are easy to break.”

“Why are the walls and windows made of paper, Mother?” asked at once Charles, who was looking at the flimsy door of their room.

“Paper is a traditional material in Japan, Charles. It is used in houses because earthquakes are frequent in Japan and paper walls have less risks of causing injuries if they collapse than solid wooden walls.”

“What is an earthquake, Mommy?” said William in his innocent voice, making Nancy look down tenderly at him.

“An earthquake is when the ground shakes violently by itself. During big earthquakes, complete houses can collapse and roads can open up wide.” Her thirteen year-old son James was next with a question as he looked around the nearly empty room.

“Are all hotel rooms this bare in Japan, Mother?”

“That is the traditional way of living here, James. You will however soon find out that what may be missing in furniture is more than compensated by the services provided.”

“What kind of services?”

“About anything the lady innkeeper can do to make our stay more agreeable, basically. Now, let’s unpack some of our things. Since storage facilities are at a premium here, we will take out of our bags only some spare underwear. Don’t bother taking out our soap and towels: they will be provided by the inn.”

Barely fifteen minutes later, a light knock on the frame of the sliding door made Nancy speak up in Japanese.

“Enter!”

The two young maids who had been in the room previously then entered, accompanied by a third maid. One carried a tray of food, the second a tea service and the third what looked like a few bath robes and paper sandals. The trays of food and tea went on the

31 Sento: Communal bathhouse.

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low table, while the third maid put the robes down in one corner. Two of the maids then left, while the older one, a girl of maybe 20, kneeled besides the low table and bowed to Nancy.

“I am Miko, your maidservant. We brought some snacks and tea for you and your sons.”

“Thank you very much, Miko-San.” said politely Nancy before switching to French for the benefit of her sons.

“Miko, our designated maidservant, has brought some snacks for us, boys. Please come kneel by the table and serve yourselves.”

Her sons obeyed eagerly enough, kneeling in the traditional Japanese way in front of the low table. Nancy helped them serve themselves with honey rice cakes and melon, supervising them as they used their chopsticks. She had spent quite a few hours during their sea trip to indoctrinate her sons in Japanese mores and good manners, so that they wouldn’t appear like the uncivilized barbarians the Japanese were expecting to see arrive in droves tomorrow. After serving her son William, Nancy smiled at Miko, who was patiently waiting by the side of the table after serving tea to her and her two older sons.

“I am afraid that my sons don’t speak Japanese, Miko-San. My name is Jeanne and my sons are William, Charles and James.”

“You have beautiful sons, Jeanne-San.” said the maidservant, struggling with the foreign-sounding name. “Is your husband going to join you soon at this inn?”

“My husband died two years ago in India, Miko-San. I am a widow.”

“I am sorry to hear that, Jeanne-San. Please accept my heartfelt condolences.”

“Thank you, Miko-San. I am hoping with this trip to your country with my sons to rebuild my family life. I also wish to show my sons different places and ways, to educate them about the World. I myself have already traveled a lot in many countries and learned to speak Japanese from Chinese sea merchants. This is however my first time in Japan. As for my sons, this is their first overseas trip, except for James, who traveled with me from the Americas to France.”

Intense curiosity showed up in Miko’s eyes then.

“Is life very different in your country compared to here, Jeanne-San?”

“Quite different, Miko. The political and social systems are completely different and the technology is very advanced, as you can see by yourself from watching our ships. What is not different is the nature of the human beings in both our countries. We

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all can suffer, cry, laugh, get angry or show kindness or love, like the Japanese do. Being different doesn’t mean being either inferior or superior to others. I can tell you in detail about my country in the days to come, if you wish so.”

“I would love that very much, Jeanne-San.” said Miko, bowing briefly. Nancy nodded as well, then took out of her purse a gold chip and ceremoniously presented it to the stunned maidservant.

“Yoroshiku onegai-shimasu32, Miko-San.”

“But…that is too much, Jeanne-San!” protested weakly Miko.

“Not in my eyes, Miko-San. Know that I am a very rich woman and that it will make me most happy if you accepted this.”

Miko, the daughter of a poor peasant, hesitated for a moment, then took the gold chip that represented over a month of her normal salary and bowed yet again.

“Jeanne-San is too kind.”

“Kindness is not measured in gold, Miko-San: it is measured in how much you really care for others. I made it my goal in life to care for others.” Miko felt humbleness then. The people of Yokohama had been talking and speculating wildly for months now about how the foreigners would be like in reality but had in general agreed among themselves that the nambanjin had to be inferior to the Japanese people despite their black ships and big guns. Now, Miko was starting to wonder about the wisdom of that opinion. She got up from the tatami mat and bowed to Nancy.

“With your permission, I will go see how long it will take for the bathhouse to be ready, Jeanne-San.”

“You don’t need my permission for anything, Miko-san: I trust your good judgment and competence. This said, I realized that you asked out of good manners and I appreciate it. By the way, if you were wondering about it, I can tell you that not all foreigners are like me. You will see good ones as well as bad or indifferent ones in the years to come. Simply take them as they come. The only thing that they will have in common is their lack of knowledge of the Japanese language.”

“Yes, Jeanne-San.” could only respond Miko, surprised by this foreigner’s hindsight and openness. She then walked out of the room, closing the sliding door behind her, and went quickly to her own room, taking the time to hide in her personal

32 Yoroshiku onegai-shimasu: I hope that we can count on you during our stay here. Traditional formula used when giving the kokoro-zuke, or arrival tip, to one’s designated maidservant in a Japanese inn.

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effects the precious gold chip before heading to the inn’s bathhouse, which formed an annex in the backyard, next to the inn’s garden. She found there her boss, Kimi-San, supervising two maidservants busy filling the communal bath with hot water. All three women looked at her when she entered, with Kimi-San questioning her at once in a low, eager tone.

“So, how are they?”

“Certainly different, Kimi-San. The woman, Jeanne-San, told me that she was a very rich widow and that she came here with her sons to show them new things. Jeanne-San nearly treated me as an equal.”

The three others stared at her with surprise, with the innkeeper finally replying to that.

“You are right, Miko: they are different. The bath should be ready in half an hour at the most.”

“Then we should see if they are really different.” said maliciously one of the maids, making the others giggle in amused understanding: popular speculations had also been running about the foreigners being possibly different physically as well from the Japanese. Gossiping was bound to be fierce tonight around Yokohama.

Once the hot communal bath was ready, Kimi-San sent word of it to Miko, who then escorted Nancy and her sons to the bathhouse. The four foreigners wore the informal yukata robes provided to them, creating a picture that made the maids smile with amusement: while Nancy’s robe was way too short due to her near-giant size, little William’s robe, despite being the smallest one the maids could find, dragged behind him on the floor as he eagerly ran around, excited by all the new things around him. The family was first led by Miko to the washing area, where she showed them low stools set around a large wooden bucket full of lukewarm water. Nancy and her sons then handed their robes to Miko and started scrubbing themselves thoroughly with the soft brushes and bars of soap available, splashing themselves with water from the bucket by using small bowls. Again, Miko found Jeanne to be knowledgeable about Japanese customs, telling her sons to wash and rinse themselves completely before they could get into the hot bath. Miko and the other maids, who volunteered to help scrub the backs of the foreigners, could then see that they were no different physically from Japanese, except for their size. Jeanne’s fit and muscular body, along with the faint scars around her torso, did attract a few discreet stares, while James and Charles were later graded by the maids as handsome and healthy boys. As for little William, he became at once popular

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with the maids as one happy and exuberant child. Miko smiled when she saw Jeanne’s two older sons hesitate after dipping their feet in the very hot water of the communal bath. In contrast, while she entered the hot water progressively, Jeanne went in without a hesitation, helping her William to get in at the same time. It took a few words of goading from Jeanne to finally convince Charles and James to get in the hot water very reluctantly, making Miko grin at Jeanne.

“I guess that you are not accustomed to hot baths, Jeanne-San.”

“Not this hot, Miko-San.”

The relaxing effects of the hot water however soon quieted down the objections of the two older boys. After soaking for a good twenty minutes while chatting with Miko, the family came out, minus little William, who had already been taken out by Jeanne earlier on and then dried by Miko. Returning to its room, the family dressed back in fresh clothes to go for a short walk around town. This time, Jeanne put on a nice French evening gown with a low cut cleavage, supplemented by a set of moderately expensive but visually magnificent jewels. If she was to be looked and stared at, then she might as well parade in the latest Paris fashion, minus of course the crinoline cages she detested so much. The four of them indeed attracted all the eyes around the moment they started walking up the street on which their inn was. Guided by her historical hindsight, Jeanne didn’t lose time in this section of Yokohama, knowing that it contained nearly exclusively inns or warehouses meant to be used by foreigners. The shops where one could buy souvenirs or find good Japanese artifacts were along streets nearer to the western section of the small town, which was occupied by the Japanese population. She thus led her sons up the main artery of Yokohama, the Honcho Dori, where they slowly went down the line of shops, looking at the goods on sale. Jeanne took her time and restricted her buying to a few small art objects she deemed of high enough quality to be worth her interest. After an hour or so of window shopping and bargaining, the family stopped at a restaurant serving traditional Japanese food. As Jeanne had expected, the fare was heavy on sea products, much of it caught by local fishermen. This proved a good opportunity for her to initiate her sons to the delights of Japanese Sushi. More window shopping followed after lunch. At around two O’clock in the afternoon, Jeanne decided to return towards their inn, where she temporarily left Charles and William under the care of James and then went by herself to the shoreline near the West Pier of the port. Discussing and bargaining with a number of Japanese officials in charge of

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leasing the few trading and storage facilities already built in this section of Yokohama, she chose a compound close to the Western Pier that would at least fit temporarily the needs of the Jardine, Matheson and Company mercantile house, paying a deposit on it in order to secure it for the use of Captain Brereton. With a signed receipt for it and after leaving specific instructions to the official, Jeanne then returned to her inn, her goals for the day accomplished.

20:53 (Japan Time)

Kimi-San’s inn

Yokohama, Japan

Having sung a soft song along with playing her guitar to help put to sleep her sons, Jeanne then kissed each of them in turn on the forehead, with little William last. Her younger son did ask one question as he lay on his futon bed in the darkened room, which was faintly illuminated by one oil lamp.

“Mommy, will we be able to travel around here?”

“We will, William. Tomorrow, we will go take Pegasus and our buggy off the ship and will then make an excursion to Kanagawa, the nearest town from Yokohama. After that, we will visit what the local government will let us see.”

“Why would they not let us go anywhere, Mommy?”

“Because they are not accustomed to strangers and prefer to be cautious about us.”

“Are they afraid of us, Mommy?”

“Some are, William. Now, go to sleep: we will be doing some traveling tomorrow.”

She gave him another kiss, then quietly left the room, closing the wood and paper sliding door behind her. Walking silently in her woolen socks on the tatami mat covering the floors of the inn, Jeanne went to the rear patio in order to watch the sea, visible from the garden area. Sitting cross-legged on the rear patio, she contemplated in silence the sea and the dark sky and thought about her future and that of her sons. One thing that came at once to her mind was how happy she had been in those last few days with all of her sons. This in turn brought her back to her situation as a member of the Time Patrol. She may have been living three different lives alternatively for years but this had been straining more and more severely her psyche lately. If she didn’t change something

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soon, she knew that she would break in some way eventually. For her children’s sake, she was going to have to do something, and this before she returned to either the 17th or 19th Century.

16:37 (Auckland Time)

November 6, 2977 B.C.E.

Timeless Club, main Time Patrol base

Future site of Auckland, New Zealand

“Tammy, another Scotch on the rocks, please!” ordered Farah Tolkonen, her voice a bit slurred. Tammy Bowman, who was the barmaid on duty at the Timeless Club at this hour, eyed her with concern while approaching her. She however didn’t grab the bottle of old Scotch on the shelves behind the bar and gently put one hand on Farah’s right hand.

“Farah, you should stop drinking now: it won’t help you one bit to get drunk.”

“It will help me forget, Tammy.”

“No it won’t! It will only prevent you from using your head properly and you may do something stupid as a result.”

“I already did something plenty stupid today, Tammy: I made Nancy run away.” The young blonde sighed in discouragement at that: it was true that Nancy’s rebellion had quickly proved to be a killer on the morale of the other members of the Time Patrol, including on her. Tammy didn’t doubt that Nancy had to have very serious reasons to run away the way she did. She knew Nancy too well to think otherwise. On the other hand, she just couldn’t feel resentment towards Farah for this: the giant scientist was too much of a nice person to be accused of being mean. The way she understood it, Tammy believed that the rules of the Time Patrol had been too inflexible for too long and didn’t reflect anymore the reality lived by its agents, especially the female ones.

“Farah, you tried to control a situation that could have threatened history. You only did your job. It’s the rules that are to blame, not you.”

“But I helped to make those rules, along with Nancy ‘A’.”

“And Nancy ‘A’ didn’t take very long to break a few of them. Yet, the World didn’t stop turning for that, which proves that rules are not always right. You simply have to think about better rules instead of hurting yourself by getting drunk.”

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Before Farah could insist on getting another drink, Mike Crawford entered the bar lounge of the Timeless Club and, after a nod to Tammy, went to sit at the bar besides Farah. One look at her was enough to tell him that she had downed a lot more than she was accustomed to.

“Farah, you really should go rest a bit.”

“Can’t!” said Farah, tears starting to roll again on her cheeks. “I need to forget this whole sorry business.”

“The only thing you will gain from drinking is a good headache in the morning, Farah. Believe my experience.”

“And has your experience told you how to repair the mess I created, Mike?”

“No, not yet!” said Mike weakly, his morale as much in tatters as anyone’s else on base. “Tammy, one Scotch on the rocks, please.”

Resigned, Tammy served him, then served a fresh drink to Farah, who grabbed it as if it would be her savior.

Over a dozen more members of the Time Patrol entered the bar lounge in the following ten minutes, having finished their work for the day. Linn Spencer, Tammy’s friend and lesbian lover, was part of those who showed up and went to sit besides Farah at the bar, sandwiching herself between Farah and Mike.

“Any news from Nancy?” asked hesitantly Linn to Tammy, who shook her head sadly.

“None! However, I believe that nobody actively searched for her. Right, Mike?”

“Correct!” said thoughtfully the big American between two sips. “I am just hoping that Nancy will find a solution to this by herself.”

As if calling her name had summoned her, Nancy entered the lounge at that moment, dressed in a 19th Century city gown and pushing a modern two-seater baby carriage. Her sons William, Charles and James followed close behind her. Nancy ‘B’ gave a tentative smile to Mike and Farah, who were still seated at the bar.

“Hello guys! May I present to you all my twins, Louis and Anne? They are now two months old.”

Linn, being the nearest, crouched besides the carriage and caressed gently the head of the two babies, sparkles in her gray eyes.

“They are so cute! Hello Louis! Hello Anne!”

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All the persons present in the bar lounge then approached the two babies to look at them and to congratulate a proud Nancy ‘B’. Mike, Farah and Tammy approached as well, waiting for their turn at the babies. However, Mike gave a cautious look first at Nancy.

“Where did you have them, Nancy?”

“In Jerusalem ‘B’. I already introduced them to the 19th Century, where they are officially known in 1860 Paris as a set of twins I adopted during my return trip from Japan.”

“Japan?” said Mike, clearly surprised, making Nancy nod.

“Yes, Japan. I traveled to Japan with my three sons in 1859 in order to have a real family vacation at last. We had a great time together, then we returned to Jerusalem so that I could have my babies in peace and quiet.” Having finally an opportunity to touch the twin babies, Mike crouched and caressed them, noticing then that Louis had green eyes while Anne had gray eyes. Apart from that and their sex, they were indistinguishable. He then got back up and smiled to Nancy.

“They are truly adorable, Nancy. Too bad that your parents are not here to see them.”

That last remark attracted a smirk on Nancy’s face.

“My parents have already seen them, Mike: they now live with me in 1860 Paris, as a Canadian couple hired by me to help me run my household. Now I will have my mother handy to take care of my kids when I will have to switch to the 17th Century.” Mike’s smile faded at those words.

“But…your parents are not trained as field agents. How will they fit in that century?”

“Well enough, Mike.” replied firmly Nancy, now looking most serious. “They made the conscious choice of going to go live the rest of their lives in the 19th Century, as I decided myself to live strictly from now on in either the 17th or 19th Century, with only brief visits to other time periods if absolutely needed. Mike, Farah, I am ready to continue to collaborate with the Time Patrol in those two time periods and to continue assuming my official identities there, but that will be all. From now on, I intend to take my family life seriously and to take care properly of my children. You can scratch me from the roster of our assault specialist teams and from rotation lists to our outposts. Two lives are the most I can really handle. You can also of course take me off the Time Patrol’s payroll.”

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“Collaborate?” said Farah, dumbfounded. “You don’t consider yourself an agent of the Time Patrol anymore?”

“No, Farah! I presented you my resignation before I disappeared and that still stands. Consider myself as an independent operator ready to help you in those two centuries.”

She then put a hand on Mike’s left shoulder while looking into his eyes.

“Mike, I have one last request for the Time Patrol: to be able to keep Pegasus, my robotic horse. It has become a lot more than a simple machine for me in those last few years and is now like a companion and a friend.”

“I can understand that, Nancy. If you ever need to bring it in for repair or refit, don’t hesitate to come.”

“I will, Mike. After all, I still have many friends here that are still dear to me.” On those words, the agents around Nancy took turns to kiss and hug her. Farah herself got in line then and was warmly hugged by Nancy.

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Cardinal Jules Mazarin on his death bed in 1661, surrounded by King Louis XIV and his court.